


Me Without You Is Like Cold Feet Without Warm Socks

by S_Horne



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 15:31:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6615916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_Horne/pseuds/S_Horne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What is the matter with you tonight?” Derek asked his restless fiancé. </p><p>Stiles pouted, “I have cold feet.”</p><p>Derek tensed up under Stiles’ gentle touch and moved to pull away. “Where are you going?” The younger asked, pouting. “Stay here, I’ll be fine in a bit.” </p><p>Stiles' breath evened out quickly after that as he fell asleep and rolled over to his own side of the bed, but Derek lay awake for hours with his mind running wild and unable to switch off.</p><p>/</p><p>Derek and Stiles' wedding is approaching when someone says the wrong thing and causes a bit of a misunderstanding</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Teen Wolf characters mentioned in this work or any other of mine.
> 
> Just a bit of angst cause I'm feeling it right now and haven't written like this before.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Please feel free to leave any comments about improving this work or in general etc.
> 
> (Also, I don't give permission for my works to be posted anywhere else without my consent)
> 
> \- S

It was an unusually cold night as Derek and Stiles lay in bed, the younger’s head using his lover’s chest as a pillow. Their quiet conversation was the only noise in the darkened room.

“You called the officiator, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, Stiles. I said I would.”

Stiles hummed in thanks as he turned onto his side. “Oh Erica called earlier. She wants you to go and see her when she gets back from work tomorrow.”

Derek’s reply was instant and monosyllabic; “no.”

Stiles laughed, tangling his legs with his partner’s. “I told her that you would never agree to a bachelor party, especially if it was her planning it, but she said she was gonna try anyway; you know what she’s like.”

Derek just rolled his eyes, unable to keep the small smile from tugging at his lips and very grateful that Stiles wasn’t looking at him.

“Also, Lydia wants to know if you’ve decided on a meal choice; she said she’ll ring the caterer in the week if we deal with our wedding cake.”

“Great, another day spent in a tiny shop looking at countless samples of various things that we won’t get to decide on ourselves anyway,” Derek muttered darkly.

“Oh, don’t be such a sourwolf.” Stiles poked the elder in the side. “Does talking about our wedding stuff freak you out?” Stiles asked quietly.

Derek dropped a kiss to the top of his lover’s head, “no. I’m excited to marry you, I’m just more excited to go to sleep right now.”

Stiles huffed out a laugh, moving yet again.

“What is the matter with you tonight?” Derek asked his restless fiancé.

Stiles pouted, “I have cold feet.”

Derek tensed up under Stiles’ gentle touch and moved to pull away. “Where are you going?” The younger asked, pouting. “Stay here, I’ll be fine in a bit.”

Stiles' breath evened out quickly after that as he fell asleep and rolled over to his own side of the bed, but Derek lay awake for hours with his mind running wild and unable to switch off. 

***

Stiles grumbled as he got up, using the bathroom before moving downstairs in dire need of both coffee and his fiancé. Finding the kitchen and living room Derek-free Stiles headed back upstairs and walked along the landing until he was stood outside of Derek’s office. He knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open when he got no response. He smiled slightly at the sight of Derek asleep on the worn couch he kept in his study, something Stiles had insisted on for his fiancé’s late nights working.

Derek had begun an architecture firm a few years ago, Hale Designs, bringing Boyd and Isaac in to the business with him, and for some reason he always produced his best work whenever he was extremely stressed or angry. This was obviously the case tonight; Stiles had been waiting for the inevitable fallout before the marriage, the one where Derek freaked out after proposing and realised that this level of commitment was not for him. Evidently this was the beginning no matter what Derek had said to the contrary.

Stiles made his way into the room, pulling a blanket from the back of the sofa and throwing it over Derek. He bent down, brushing a strand of hair from the elder’s forehead and dropping a kiss there instead.

***

Stiles had a huge project on at his computer programming firm which had been keeping him extremely busy for weeks. He decided not to rush through the project and instead worked late into the evening so that he could give Derek the space that he clearly needed. When he got home after a particularly hard and long day there was only one light on in the house; in Derek’s study. Stiles stopped in on the way to bed causing Derek to look up from his desk with a smile. He beckoned his lover over for a kiss and then sent him on his way.

“Go to bed, Stiles,” he suggested, “I’ll be in as soon as I finish this email.”

“Promise?” Stiles asked around a yawn.

“Promise,” Derek agreed with another kiss.

***

It was freezing when Stiles woke up searching for warmth. The angry red light of the bedside clock flashed just past 3 am. Realising that Derek was not lying next to him Stiles pushed himself out of bed. He padded along the hardwood floors, shivering at his chilly toes and wishing he had pushed harder for a carpeted landing. There was a dim glow coming from the crack of Derek’s slightly ajar office door, signalling another night spent alone for the two of them.

Sure enough, when Stiles pushed the door open fully Derek was asleep on his sofa. He sighed; one broken promise he can deal with but it had better not happen again.

***

Later in the week Stiles had finally finished his project and rang Derek to arrange a date night. The phone rang and rang before falling to voicemail, the automated message grinding on Stiles’ nerves as it was all he had been getting for hours. He decided to leave Derek alone, as that was what he obviously wanted. He ended the call, not bothering to leave a message and instead called Erica – the perfect person for a night out to switch his mind off. Erica picked up on the fourth ring, hushing someone in the background and shutting a door.

“Hey, babe,” she said cheerfully and a bit out of breath.

“Hi,” Stiles replied cautiously, “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” He'd been pocket-dialed by Erica and Boyd far too many times and shivered at the memory.

“Just a night in with my work out DVDs; Boyd’s got a late client meeting. Why? – you okay, sweetie?” Her voice took on a caring tone, making a strong wave of longing flare up inside Stiles. He loved Erica fiercely but at times like this he missed both Lydia and Laura immensely, the two women currently jet setting off to opposite ends of the earth. He couldn’t wait for the whole pack to come back together and for the return of their memorable nights out when the wedding happened … _if_ the wedding happened, he supposed.

“I just, things have been a bit – Derek’s…,” Stiles tripped over his words as he tried to explain his feelings to his friend. There were movements heard in the background on Erica’s end. “You got someone there?” Stiles asked.

Erica shook it off, “no. I told you, Derek and Boyd are at a client meeting.” Stiles hadn’t mentioned anything about Derek, but he let it go.

Until he heard him, that is.

Derek’s voice was muffled but Stiles would have known it anywhere or under any disguise.

Derek was at Erica’s.

Derek wasn’t answering his phone.

Erica had lied to him; something she had never done in the 10 or so years Stiles had known her; in fact she was often too truthful most of the time.

 _Oh, god,_ Stiles thought; Derek was at Erica’s; ignoring Stiles’ calls and **making his friend lie to him.**

Stiles stammered into the phone “you know what? Ignore me, I’m fine. I’m just gonna catch up on my sleep after this project – see you soon!”

“Wait!” Erica cried. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Fine,” Stiles said shortly. “I’m fucking fine.” With that he hung up, taking deep breaths in an attempt not to give in to his near overwhelming urge to break down and cry, scream and curse.

***

On the other end of the conversation Erica put down the phone and raised her eyes skyward. Derek was clattering around in the kitchen, cleaning up after the meal he had cooked and complaining about Erica’s lack of a ‘real’ coffee maker. Erica walked in to the room slowly, leaning against the door frame and crossing her arms over her chest.

“What’s going on, Der?” She asked gently.

Derek continued to tidy up the kitchen, slamming the cupboard doors shut with more strength than Erica deemed necessary.

“ **Derek,** ” she said with more force.

“Nothing, E,” Derek insisted. “I’m fine.” He paused. “ _It’s_ fine.”

“Bullshit!” Erica snapped. “Come and find me when you’re ready to sit down and talk about this like a normal fucking human.” She turned around and stormed upstairs, taking a leaf from Derek’s book and slamming every door on her way.

Derek sighed, dropping his head low with his palms spread out on the counter before him and his shoulders tense.

God, this was a mess.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for the fluffy conclusion!
> 
> Please feel free to leave any comments about mistakes that I haven't spotted or any general thoughts :) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> \- S

Stiles woke up when the bed behind him dipped. Peeking through his eyelids he saw the clock blinking 4.35 am. He closed his eyes once more, willing himself not to think about where Derek had been if not in bed with him. _It’s not a big deal,_ was the mantra he kept repeating in his head, but he couldn’t quite believe it.

Derek’s arms wrapped around his stomach from behind but Stiles couldn’t stand it. Pretending he was asleep he rolled himself onto his front, turning his head from his lover and making sure Derek couldn’t cuddle him.

He told himself that he didn’t care about the puppy-like whine that left his partner’s mouth.

*** 

The next time he woke was to his fiancé plastered against his back and kisses being pressed to his neck. Derek made no motion to suggest that he knew that Stiles was now awake, leaving the younger to think that the elder’s words were not meant to be heard by him.

“I’m sorry, Stiles.” There was another kiss to his neck. “I miss you.” The next sentence came in a broken whisper. “I love you.”

Stiles’ silent tears dripped down his face and soaked his pillow.

 _Surprise, surprise,_ he thought bitterly to himself the next morning when he woke up alone.

***

Life continued in much the same way over the next week or so; Derek and Stiles sleeping alone and barely speaking to each other in the rare hours that they spent at home at the same time. Neither mentioned the wedding and each dodged calls from florists, bakers, caterers and Lydia.

*** 

That weekend, Scott was hosting a small party for the pack to celebrate his and Kira’s house finally being finished. Derek was helping with the grilling whilst Stiles had a serious talk with his best friend.

“Come on, Stiles. Talk to me,” Scott pleaded. “I know that you’re having a tough time lately – that’s what I’m here for!”

Stiles sighed, not lifting his eyes from the beer bottle that he was twisting in his hands. “Derek… he’s, I don’t know.” He put the bottle down on the coffee table in front of him and rubbed his hands over his face before continuing. “He’s been pulling away from me for the last week or so. I _knew_ he was going to freak out over proposing once the wedding got so close but I… I don’t know, I guess it just hurts more than I’d prepared for. I just miss him.”

Scott wrapped his arms around Stiles’ shoulders and pulled him close as the tears came. He didn’t notice Derek approach the room and stop just short of the doorway.

“I can’t stand the idea of him leaving me!” Stiles sobbed.

“Don’t, Stiles. Don’t think like that; Derek is so in love with you!” Scott was quick to reassure. “He’s probably just freaking out – like you said. We’ll talk to him,” he promised. There was no response so Scott looked down to see Stiles nearly asleep on his shoulder. He shook him slightly, “go to bed, dude. The guest room already has your name on it.” 

“No point,” Stiles mumbled in response.

“Why? You look like you’ve barely slept in a week.”

“I haven’t,” Stiles’ speech was starting to slur. “You know I can’t sleep when it’s cold. Derek won’t let me get an electric blanket because he runs at the natural temperature of a furnace but when he sleeps in the damn study I don’t have my own personal space heater!”

Scott pulled Stiles even closer, perfectly content to act as an electric blanket for his best friend to finally get some sleep.

Neither of them noticed Derek slip back into the kitchen and make his early goodbyes to the rest of the pack, claiming he had an urgent errand to run.

*** 

When Stiles got home that night – driven by his dad after Scott had pointed out his tiredness – it was to Derek’s study door firmly shut and the bedroom door wide open with the room lit. He walked in slowly to find Derek emptying bag after bag onto the bed. Stiles walked further into the room and stopped opposite his fiancé – _if he could still call him that_ , he thought bitterly.

“What… what on _earth_ are you doing?” Stiles asked as Derek picked up another bag. The elder was silent until the bag was empty then finally lifted his head to meet Stiles’ confused and partly entertained gaze.

He lifted a hand and pointed a finger at Stiles. “Don’t you _ever_ do that to me again” he said gruffly.

“ **Me**?” Stiles yelled, suddenly feeling very awake. “What the hell did I do?”

“You said you were having second thoughts about marrying me!” Derek replied, his eyes never leaving Stiles’.

“What?” Stiles screamed in disbelief. “I most certainly did not!”

“Yes, you did!”

“When?”

“Last week, in bed. You said that you had cold feet!”

“Oh my… Derek!” Stiles spluttered angrily. “I – wait…” he stopped again. “Is that what…? Oh, gosh” he burst out laughing, bracing himself on the bed in front of him which was now completely covered with socks.

Thick, thin, patterned, knitted, ones with days of the week embroidered on, ones with superheroes printed on, trainer socks and over-the-knee. Stiles suddenly stopped laughing and lifted his head to look at Derek once more.

“You **_asshole_**!” He shouted, picking up a pair of socks and throwing them at his stupid, _stupid_ fiancé.

“I’m the asshole?” Derek shouted back, “I’m not the one just casually expressing my regret to get married a month before the wedding!”

“I said I had cold feet meaning that I _literally had **cold feet**!_ Not that I didn’t want to marry you!”

“How was I supposed to know that?” Derek countered just as loudly. 

“You know I hate the cold!

"It wasn't even cold that night!"

"It was to us mere mortals! Also, my feet were resting on your legs, you blockhead!”

“I thought –” Derek started yelling before his voice lost its volume and he covered his eyes with a hand. “God, Stiles… I thought the worst.”

Stiles voice also softened after a pause, admitting “I thought you were pulling away because you regretted proposing.”

“Never, Stiles,” Derek promised vehemently, lifting his eyes once more to meet Stiles’. “Not for a single second. I can't wait to marry you.”

The younger had had enough of their separation and crossed the room in a second, launching himself at Derek and pulling him into a firm embrace. Their lips met passionately, more teeth clashing than a romantic kiss but they were both gripping the other too tightly to care. They couldn’t bring themselves to move back more than a millimeter, both breathing their apologies into the other’s mouth.

“I’m sorry, Stiles. I should have talked to you, _trusted_ you. I should have just asked you what the problem was instead of thinking I knew.”

Stiles’ hands were shaking uncontrollably as he scrambled for purchase on Derek’s back. “I didn’t know what was happening, you were just pulling further and further away.” He met Derek for another kiss before confessing “I should have made the first move to talk to you, but I thought there was someone else... that you were _touching_ someone **else**.”

“No!” Derek was quick to argue, framing Stiles’ face and meeting his eyes. “No, Stiles. Never, I wouldn’t – I, I _couldn’t._ ”

“I know, Der. I know” Stiles sealed his reassurance with another kiss, licking into Derek’ mouth and moaning at the familiar rhythm.

“It’s you, Stiles. It’s only ever been you.”  Derek kissed his way down Stiles’ neck, berating himself for missing out on this for a whole week over a stupid misunderstanding.

Stiles whined, “I missed you. I’ve been so cold, Derek. We need to use our words more, promise me.”

That was one promise Derek knew he could always keep from now on, sealing the deal with a fervent kiss and pushing Stiles down onto the seemingly endless pile of socks.

*** 

Later that night the duo were finally sharing one bed again, Stiles cradled close to Derek’s chest and both just enjoying each other’s company.

Stroking down his Stiles’ arms and twisting his fiancé’s ring around his finger, Derek’s voice cut through the silence. “How are your feet now?” he asked.

“Freezing,” Stiles replied, making Derek growl playfully. The younger laughed loudly, wiggling his toes until they were sandwiched between Derek’s legs. “Mm,” he commented as he snuggled impossibly closer. “Toasty warm.”  

 


End file.
